“He’s cleverer than he looks,” ses
the gal, turning to Ted. “I s’pose
you’re right, and it is the shape after all.”

Ted walked along one side of ’er and Charlie
the other, till they came to the corner of the road
where she lived, and then Ted and ’er stood there
talking till Charlie got sick and tired of it, and
kept tugging at Ted’s coat for ’im to
come away.

“I’m coming,” ses Ted, at last.
“I s’pose you won’t be this way
to-morrow night?” he ses, turning to the gal.

“I might if I thought there was no chance of
seeing you,” she ses, tossing her ’ead.

She turned round and a’most ran up the road,
with Ted follering ’er and begging of ’er
not to be so hasty, and afore they parted she told
’im that ’er name was. Emma White,
and promised to meet ’im there the next night
at seven.

O’ course Mr. Charlie Brice turned up alongside
o’ Ted the next night, and at fust Emma said
she was going straight off ’ome agin. She
did go part o’ the way, and then, when she found
that Ted wouldn’t send his mate off, she came
back and, woman-like, said as ’ow she wasn’t
going to go ’ome just to please Charlie Brice.
She wouldn’t speak a word to ’im, and
when they all went to the music-’all together
she sat with her face turned away from ’im and
her elbow sticking in ’is chest. Doing
that and watching the performance at the same time
gave ’er a stiff neck, and she got in such a
temper over it she wouldn’t hardly speak to Ted,
and when Charlie—­meaning well—­told
‘er to rub it with a bit o’ mutton-fat
she nearly went off her ’ead.

“Who asked you to come with us?” she ses,
as soon as she could speak. “’Ow
dare you force yourself where you ain’t wanted?”

“Ted wants me,” ses Charlie.

“We’ve been together for years,”
ses Ted. “You’ll like Charlie when
you get used to ’im—­everybody does.”

“Not me!” ses Emma, with a shiver.
“It gives me the fair creeps to look at him.
You’ll ’ave to choose between us.
If he comes, I sha’n’t. Which is
it to be?”

Neither of ’em answered ’er, but the next
night they both turned up as usual, and Emma White
stood there looking at ’em and nearly crying
with temper.